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THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ST GEORGE CELEBRATES HM THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY IN STYLE

June 9 2013.

Yesterday Deans Place Hotel in Alfriston was once again the venue chosen by the Seahaven Branch of 'The Royal Society of St George' for its regular June dinner to celebrate the official birthday of the Royal Society's patron, HM The Queen.

The Mayors of all five towns in the branch's area of interest were present, each with their consorts, to join in the celebration. Also present were two couples from Germany, as part of Seaford's twinning with their towns. They were looked after by branch members Laurie Holland and Mark Brown.

The guest of honour was John Clemence QPM, a retired assistant commissioner of police from Hong Kong, who is now the president of the Royal Society, internationally. He related how he saw the Coronation sixty years ago as a 16 year old, sitting overnight on the streets where the procession passed twice. A damp day he will never forget.

The chairman, Bob Peedle MBE, in welcoming the guests, thanked the Mayors of Seaford, Newhaven, Peacehaven and Telscombe for their town's financial support for the Veterans' and Armed Forces' Day which will be on Saturday the 29th of June in the Martello Fields in Seaford. He also outlined how the day will be long remembered, as in 1982 it was the date when the HMS Sir Galahad disaster happened during the Falklands conflict. One guest at the dinner who remembered that war well is Eon Matthews, who was a crew member on HMS Cumberland, which four days later was struck by an Exocet missile. He also had something in common with the Guest of Honour, in that Eon was part of the Royal Naval Regulating Branch (RN Police) in Hong Kong for part of his naval career.

Chairman Bob Peedle said: "This dinner, which has become an annual event for the branch, was once again a delightful celebration and gave us the chance to show pride and loyalty to our Royal Society's Patron, HM The Queen. At these formal events, one of the toasts is always to 'England and St George', and this is enthusiastically supported by all present."

Branch President, Don Mabey MBE, concluded the evening with good wishes to all, a light-hearted joke and a toast to absent friends.